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Articles

Mental Health Literacy: A Review of What It Is and Why It Matters

Published Online:December 15, 2020https://doi.org/10.1037/ipp0000094

Abstract

An increasing number of scholarly works have attempted to understand the reasons for poor rates of help-seeking for symptoms of mental health disorders all around the world. One particular body of work has focused on “mental health literacy” (MHL), defined as knowledge about mental health disorders that is associated with their recognition, management, and prevention. In this article, we report a nonsystematic review of studies on MHL, to give nonexpert academics, policymakers, and practitioners an understanding of the field. We find that studies consistently show that the general public have relatively poor recognition of the symptoms of mental health disorders and appear to emphasize self-help over traditional medical treatments. In addition, we find that there are age, gender, educational, urban−rural, and cross-cultural differences in MHL, which may differentially affect rates of help-seeking in different contexts. Implications and future directions for research are considered in conclusion.

Impact and Implications

Although the importance of individual and society health literacy has long been recognized, there has been less work on mental health literacy, which is the ability to recognize, manage, and prevent mental illness. In this article, we look at what the research says on this topic, particularly individual differences (e.g., age, gender, and education) in mental health literacy. We also examine the research on cultural and national differences and conclude with what implications this work has for application and future research.

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